The Protector and the Peacemaker

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

(Sarah)

Sarah flopped down gratefully on the hard marble floor next to Misty. She and the others had gone back to rejoin Ozzie, Misty, Faska, and Manchi, leaving Droma alone to work on the lock.

"What did you find?" the elf asked, standing vigilant in the empty hallway.

"Nothing yet," Porter answered, sitting down next to Ozzie. "The door's locked, but Droma's trying to open it."

"How long will that take?" Misty asked.

Azkular shook his head as he came in. "Impossible to say. It could be hours, maybe even days."

Porter shifted agitatedly on the floor. "We don't have days! The Mythics are marching now, and we have no idea how long it will be before the Slayers catch up to them."

"The Slayers will not get involved yet."

Everyone turned in surprise to Granger, who was standing by the opposite wall. Though he had spoken to Porter, he hadn't said a word to anyone else— until now. Sarah saw Azkular's hand twitching, as if debating whether or not to conjure his knife.

"Why's that?" she asked, standing up.

"I spoke to Master Mortoph when Vega and I saw the Mythic army," Granger answered. "He told us his plan is not to attack the Mythics immediately."

"Doesn't that go against a Slayer's basic mentality?" Faska asked, eyeing the old man suspiciously.

"He told me that he intends to let the Mythics reach society and cause some chaos," Granger continued, ignoring the elf. "That will turn the public against them. Then the Slayers will come and defeat them, and everyone will see us as heroes."

Cold, stunned silence filled the room.

"Then we have even less time than we thought," Azkular said, his eyes wide with barely contained anger. "If Rayalga attacks before we can intervene, it won't matter if the Slayers win or lose. Everyone will see the Mythics as monsters, just like Mortoph wants them to."

"He also told me that he would be deploying the Repurposed to whittle away their numbers before the real battle starts," Granger added.

Ice filled Sarah's veins as she remembered the first time she'd encountered a Repurposed Mythic. It had been in the room just at the top of the stairs they were standing by now. Shadow had cornered Tick and her in the archive while Porter fought Ozzie on the stairs. She shivered, the image of the mindless dragon's black and red eyes still vivid in her memory. In front of her, she could see Porter's face turning red with anger.

Is it really worth it to try to change this man? She wondered. Porter's just going to give himself a headache!

"Why are you telling us this?" Porter demanded. His eyes were hard and his face angry, but Sarah knew what was going on inside his head. He was hoping Granger would admit that he was trying to help them, which would mean that what Porter was trying to do was working.

"Because there's nothing you can do about it," the Slayer answered. "You will refuse to leave this tower until you've gotten what you're after. Without it, you have nothing to use against us. By then, it will be too late."

Everybody fell silent.

"Do you understand, Porter?" Granger asked, looking directly at the young man. "There's no way you can stop what's coming. You've already lost."

Lightning flashed outside the windows, followed by an ominous roll of thunder. When it faded away, another sound could be heard.

Porter was hyperventilating.